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I have had great success with Atkins over the long term. I first did it back in 2004, after carefully reading the book. I was not able to do induction because I was nursing a baby at the time. So I never had a "quick" initial loss but I had "failed" Weight Watchers while nursing (too carb/grain heavy for me apparently) and was desperate.
I lost 40 lb and kept it off until the fall of 2005, when I got pregnant with baby #3. I then went right back to it after she was born and am down to the same weight I achieved in 2004. No more babies now for me LOL
I do have to exercise some portion control or I will start to gain, even with following the plan. I happen to be extremely insulin resistant. However, I have tried other ways of eating and just feel the best, with the most energy, on Atkins. My health and immune system are just great, better than when I was in my early 20s (40 is just around the corner).
Also, even though the OP did not ask, I am very active, doing both strength and endurance types of exercise. Since I've been on Atkins, I do not "bonk" in spite of consuming very few carbs. I have consistent energy levels for even intense cross-training classes.
If Adkins was such a great and wonderfurl diet, there wouldn't be so many ppl 'giving it another try'.
You could say the same about any diet. Portion control is wonderful, yes? And Weight Watchers, and any other diet you can name. Yet 95% of people who lose weight, regardless of the method, will gain it back again. Frequently, they gain more than they'd lost.
I have lost weight on it before, and now I think I'll have another crack at it.
What are some of your favorite "permitted" foods on Adkins, and what were somee of your pitfalls?
Meat! Ha!
It worked but not long term for me. I tended to get dehydrated and had to end up counting calories anyway for my goal weight. I really did not like how I felt either if I ate too carby one day. I think its probably best to approach it as:
- general portion control/counting calories
THEN
- adjust your macronutrient values (like carbs)
If you gained back the weight you lost you should ask yourself why. Doing the same diet wont work as well on a second go and probably won't keep it off unless there is something else that has changed.
If you like atkins though and want to use it for some fast lost before you begin: read the south beach diet book (less strict low carb) and learn how to increase your carbs slowly. If you do that you can make a transition into a higher carb diet without gaining. You have to be watching your calories and weaning up your carbs with pause phases as your body adjusts.
If you never read the atkins book do that too. A lot of people skip the book and do the diet wrong off of buzz articles and that way is VERY unhealthy. IE: too much bacon or cheese or fat.
You could say the same about any diet. Portion control is wonderful, yes? And Weight Watchers, and any other diet you can name. Yet 95% of people who lose weight, regardless of the method, will gain it back again. Frequently, they gain more than they'd lost.
You will notice that I didn't mention "diet" anywhere, in any of my posts. Why? Diets do not work. If you can't commit to make a lifestyle change, you will fail every diet you try.
Eat less, move more is NOT a diet..it's a lifestyle.
You could say the same about any diet. Portion control is wonderful, yes? And Weight Watchers, and any other diet you can name. Yet 95% of people who lose weight, regardless of the method, will gain it back again. Frequently, they gain more than they'd lost.
That number is a urban legend harvested from a small study in the 60s on a study of morbidly obese patients who had to be hospitalized to even lose weight.
100% of people who don't try to control their weight and food quality will end up suffering from health problems. That is for sure.
And what a loser type thinking...don't even bother cause you might fail?
Blah on that.
I say polish up your critical thinking skills and find a way of eating that works for you. The reason people fail to come to a workable solution is because they are defining the problem poorly.
Take a dieter for example. One may pick low carb because it worked before defining the cause (problem) of excess weight was carbs. But the true problem is not the carbs. Its eating the right way that works comfortably for you.
You will notice that I didn't mention "diet" anywhere, in any of my posts. Why? Diets do not work. If you can't commit to make a lifestyle change, you will fail every diet you try.
Eat less, move more is NOT a diet..it's a lifestyle.
Dieting really IS the problem. I don't diet; low carb is a way of life for me. It has to be; I'm insulin resistant with PCOS. That doesn't mean I never eat anything sugary or carby, just that it's a rare thing.
That number is a urban legend harvested from a small study in the 60s on a study of morbidly obese patients who had to be hospitalized to even lose weight.
100% of people who don't try to control their weight and food quality will end up suffering from health problems. That is for sure.
And what a loser type thinking...don't even bother cause you might fail?
Blah on that.
I say polish up your critical thinking skills and find a way of eating that works for you. The reason people fail to come to a workable solution is because they are defining the problem poorly.
Take a dieter for example. One may pick low carb because it worked before defining the cause (problem) of excess weight was carbs. But the true problem is not the carbs. Its eating the right way that works comfortably for you.
Agreed. For me, finding that I was insulin resistant and have PCOS was the deciding factor for the way of eating I now practice - a low carb diet. Not weight loss diet, just way of eating.
You have to stay on the plan, you see. It's like giving up alcohol.
And that's the problem I have with it. I can lose like anything on that diet b/c I'm a carb junkie, but the thought of having to severely limit my carbs for the rest of my life is just too depressing--esp since I really like to bake bread and I'm good at it. I've found that it works better for me to make sure I get 35 gms of fiber a day--which is really difficult on atkins, and I make sure I get protein with each meal and eat lots of veggies and no sugar or junk. Well very little. This puts me in a much better mood and makes me more energetic also, b/c on the Atkins induction phase, following it to the letter, I get really weak and jittery and grouchy.
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